I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle monitoring systems and more particularly to the identification and validation of a vehicle operator to more than one electronic system.
II. Description of the Related Art
It is now commonplace in the commercial trucking industry, as well as other industries in which goods are shipped, to equip vehicles with a variety of electronic monitoring systems. These electronic monitoring systems can provide useful information regarding the performance of the vehicle to fleet operators. Such performance characteristics can include engine speed, engine RPM, idle time, and so forth. Electronic monitoring systems can also provide other useful information such as vehicle location, route analysis, and miles traveled per jurisdiction for fuel tax calculation purposes. Other electronic applications found in the commercial trucking industry include voice/text messaging, security systems, and electronic mail or e-mail.
In many instances, these electronic systems each require the identity of the vehicle operator. For example, an electronic monitoring system which records various vehicle operating characteristics may require the identity of the operator so that the operating characteristics can be attributed to an identified operator. By knowing which vehicle operator is responsible for each set of data, fleet managers can reward those operators who meet certain performance goals. An example of such a system is the SensorTRACS.RTM. electronic monitoring system, sold by Qualcomm, Incorporated.
Another electronic system which requires the identity of a vehicle operator is an e-mail system. It is necessary to identify vehicle operators so that e-mail messages may be routed to the appropriate vehicle. An onboard security system may also require the identity of the vehicle operator to determine if that operator is authorized to operate the vehicle.
Yet another electronic system which requires the identify of a vehicle operator is one implementing automatic generation of Department of Transportation (DOT) driver logs. In the past, these driver logs were generated manually by vehicle operators. Present systems contemplate an automatic system which monitors various aspects of a vehicle pertinent to the generation of a driver log. For example, electronic monitoring systems are able to track a vehicle's travel route and stop time, which are key elements in generating the DOT driver log. This system requires the identity of the vehicle operator so that the information recorded by the automatic monitoring system can be attributed to a particular driver and a legal document (the DOT log) created from the information.
In order to identify vehicle operators, a unique identification code and password is assigned to each operator. The identification code and password must be manually entered into each electronic system used onboard the vehicle prior to operation.
Typically, the electronic monitoring systems do not communicate with each other, thus requiring a separate login and logoff for each system.
As more of these electronic systems are installed into commercial vehicles, vehicle operators will be forced to validate individually with each system prior to use. It will also force vehicle operators to log off of each electronic system once they are finished operating the vehicle. This could create many problems for fleet management. For example, after logging on to several electronic systems on a first vehicle, a vehicle operator may forget to log off one or more electronic systems and begin operating a second vehicle. A second vehicle operator might then begin operating the first vehicle without logging on to one or more electronic systems. It might then become difficult to determine which operator was responsible for which set of data.